The present invention relates to a storage compartment for a container, especially in a motor vehicle.
More particularly it relates to a storage compartment which is intended in particular for mounting on an inner side of a side wall of the container, while the container can be housed, for example beneath a central armrest in the motor vehicle. The storage compartment is intended, for example, for the storage of small items in a larger container.
Such storage compartments are known in the art. The known storage compartments have a disadvantage that they require a substantial space in a larger container.
Accordingly, it is an object of present invention to provide a storage compartment for a container, especially in a motor vehicle, which is designed so that it can be housed with a minimal use of space in the larger container.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a storage compartment which has a bottom pivotable by a first hinged joint out of an substantially horizontal position into a substantially vertical position; a wall pivotably mounted by a second hinged joint on said bottom and pivotable out of a position lying flat against said bottom into a position standing away from said bottom; a driving mechanism which, as said bottom is pivoted out of the substantially vertical position into the substantially horizontal position, pivots said wall out of said position lying flat against said bottom into said position standing away from said bottom, and vice versa.
The storage compartment according to the invention is pivotable onto the inner side of the side wall of the container, on which the storage compartment is mounted, so that the storage compartment occupies only little space when not in use. For that purpose, the storage compartment according to the invention has a bottom that is pivotable by means of a hinged joint out of an approximately horizontal position standing away from the side wall into the container, into an approximately vertical position lying flat against the inner side of the side wall of the container. When not in use, the bottom is pivoted against the side wall of the container, so that the entire volume of the container is available as a storage space.
In accordance with the present invention one wall of the storage compartment is pivotally mounted on the bottom of the storage compartment, and is pivotable out of position standing away from the bottom into a position lying flat against the bottom. When the storage compartment is not in use, the wall is pivoted to rest on the bottom and the bottom is pivoted into its approximately vertically upright position.
Furthermore, the storage compartment according to the invention has a driving mechanism (gear mechanism) which positively co-ordinates the pivoting movements of the wall and bottom of the storage compartment with one another, so that, as the bottom is pivoted from the approximately vertical position into the approximately horizontal position, the wall of the storage compartment pivots out of the position lying flat against the bottom into the position standing away from the bottom. If the bottom is pivoted out of the approximately horizontal into the approximately vertical position, the driving mechanism pivots the wall out of the position standing away from the bottom into the position lying flat against the bottom. The invention has the advantage that it offers an opportunity for a container to be divided up and enables small items to be stored tidily in a larger container, wherein, when not in use, the storage compartment according to the invention can be housed with a minimum use of space against the inner side of a side wall of the container.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the driving mechanism comprises a cam mechanism. In a development thereof, the cam mechanism has a fixed guideway in a plane perpendicular to a pivot axis of the bottom. The guideway runs in an arc about the pivot axis of the bottom at a changing distance therefrom. The wall of the storage compartment has a guide element, for example, a laterally projecting guide pin, which engages in the guideway. By virtue of the cam mechanism, an angular position of the wall relative to the bottom of the storage compartment is dependent on the pivoted angle of the bottom, and the pivoting movement of the wall is necessarily derived from the pivoting movement of the bottom, so that the wall stands away from the bottom when the latter takes up its approximately horizontal position, and so that the wall lies flat against the bottom when the latter takes up its approximately vertical position.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the storage compartment has an overload protection means, which supports the bottom in the approximately horizontal position. If the storage compartment is overloaded, for example, because a heavy object is placed on the storage compartment, the overload protection means gives way, so that the bottom is able to fold away downwards. Damage to the storage compartment is consequently avoided.
In another preferred embodiment, the bottom of the storage compartment is pressed by a spring mechanism into the approximately horizontal position and the wall is passed into the position standing away from the bottom. When not in use, the bottom is held by a releasable holding arrangement in the approximately vertical position. The releasable holding arrangement can comprise, for example, a snap-action projection, which is pressed away resiliently to the side when the bottom is pressed out of the approximately vertical position towards the horizontal position. After overcoming the holding arrangement, the bottom pivots under spring action into its approximately vertical position. Push-push or cardioid locking mechanisms known per se can also be used as releasable holding arrangement.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.